Staff Blogs

Warning: Do not anger Joel Embiid

Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, center, goes up for a dunk against Brooklyn Nets' Rondae Hollis-Jefferson during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in Philadelphia. Philadelphia won 108-107. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The NBA and its fans have been warned. Do not anger Joel Embiid.

After Philadelphia came out flat and gave what Embiid considered an embarrassing performance on national television against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday — a game in which the rookie center from Kansas shot just 5-for-14 and only collected four rebounds — he told reporters those kind of nights irritate him.

“My job has been trying to change the
culture,” Embiid told The
Inquirer. “It just makes me mad
that we come out on ESPN and TNT and
play so bad.”

“It still kind of makes me mad when I
go on Twitter,” Embiid added. “We
didn’t have the worst record in the
league (at the time). But people still
say we do just because of the past.”

Provoked by that perceived lack of respect, the 22-year-old face of the 76ers channeled his frustrations Sunday against Brooklyn and cooked the Nets for a career-high 33 points, on 12-for-17 shooting.

"I felt for the first time, all over,
he really wanted to dominate the
game," Sixers coach Brett Brown
said after Embiid also contributed
10 rebounds, three blocks and two
steals, while going 2-for-3 from
3-point range and 7-for-8 at the
free-throw line in 27 minutes. "He
really wanted to win the game. He
really wanted to be the anchor to
everything we were doing."

The 7-foot-2 star-in-the-making even dove into the arena’s most expensive seats trying to save a loose ball.

When he wasn’t scaring the life out of court-side ticket-holders, Embiid, the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year, was showing off a collection of offensive moves and skills that make many around the league think he will dominate for years to come — if he can stay healthy.

Jump hooks. Pull-up jumpers off of cross-overs. Soft bank shots off the glass from the post. Finishing alley-oops above the rim. Facing up and using his agility to spin past his man for a bucket. Spotting up for 3-pointers. Name an offensive skill. Embiid can do it.

Even when his body couldn’t quite keep up with what his brain wanted to accomplish against Brooklyn, good things happened.

At one point, Embiid blew a dunk after turning a steal into a fast-break opportunity, but he’s so large and nimble the big from Cameroon had the ability to gather his own miss and score without his foes having much hope.

On another offensive possession, Philly’s centerpiece fell down on the floor while kicking a pass to the wing on the move. But Embiid just got back up and turned it into a give-and-go layup.

As reported by Keith Pompey of The Inquirer, Embiid became the franchise’s first rookie to post at least 33 and 10 since Hall of Famer Hal Greer went for 45 points and 11 boards for the Syracuse Nationals in 1959.

"I thought my teammates were finding
me, and then I was getting into the
flow of the offense,” the rookie big
man said afterward. ”I wasn't forcing
anything. I was just playing
basketball."

Now all the rest of the league can do is hope Embiid is more jovial than apoplectic when it’s time to face Philadelphia. Though with the Sixers’ 7-20 record (tied for the worst winning percentage with Dallas), most teams should still be all right, regardless of the big man’s mood.

Uh-oh. Did I just poke the bear? I mean, that guy killed a lion once. Sorry, NBA.